The present embodiments relate to generating and visualizing an ion beam profile. The ion beam profile may be used during treatment planning for a particle therapy treatment.
Particle therapy is commonly used in the field of oncology to treat localized forms of cancer and other afflictions. For particle therapy, particles such as protons, carbon ions or other particles are accelerated to high energies. The particles form a beam that is directed to a target volume. The particles of the particle beam interact with the target in a relatively delimited region resulting in localized cell damage with minimal damage of the surrounding healthy tissue. Particle therapy can be used in fields where no treatment of a patient occurs, for example, in research and development activities which involve irradiation of materials or phantoms.
Particle therapy requires accurate treatment planning. Treatment planning systems are computer-based applications used for generating treatment plans based on patient images, target definition, and machine geometry definition. Treatment planning systems allow the clinical user to visualize the three-dimensional volume of patient images, beam shapes, automatic beam shaping, placement and dose calculation.
After dose calculation, a graphical representation of the dose distribution that would affect the target volume and the surrounding tissue can be visualized. The dose distribution allows a user to verify whether the ion beam would affect the tissue in a desired way. Since dose calculation is based on the physical characteristics of an ion beam, a visualization of ion beam properties created with dose calculation algorithm also reflects the physical characteristics of an ion beam. Dose calculation, however, is time-consuming and can slow down the process of treatment planning. When a user changes parameters, such as the incidence direction of the ion beam, several times during treatment planning, the doses have to be recalculated several times.